Golden Globe Nominee John David Washington Says People of Color ‘Are Thriving’ in Hollywood

Following his Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” actor John David Washington says people of color “are thriving” in Hollywood now after years of “standing on the shoulders.”

The actor, who has also had a recurring role on Dwayne Johnson’s “Ballers,” said that while it is nice to be “invited to the party,” his focus was on the film’s director. “I was more nervous for Spike … he deserves it, man.”

“We people of color, we’ve been standing on the shoulders for a long time, and we are thriving now,” the 34-year-old actor told TheWrap. “The minorities, you know, are getting recognized more. I was hoping he’d be more recognized for his fourth decade.”

This is Washington’s first Golden Globes nomination — but like most of the country, the actor was asleep when the broadcast started airing early Thursday morning. Thankfully, his father Denzel Washington was wide awake.

“I’m actually at my folk’s place and I was sleeping and I hear some sneaks sliding … and it’s the old man, my pops, letting me know it’s on!” Washington said. “My mom is on a plane — she’s going to Chicago to audition for ‘Hamlet,’ and we were all on the phone, and they were just saying how proud they were of me, and they are so happy for me. There might have been some tears shedding, maybe not. It was a beautiful moment.”

Denzel Washington himself has been nominated at the Golden Globes nine times throughout his career, ultimately winning two for 2000’s “The Hurricane” and 1990’s “Glory.” He also received the Cecil DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in 2016.

John David Washington says everybody in his category, which includes Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased”), Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”) and Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”), is deserving of the final award, but there’s one person from this awards season that he can’t wait to corner at the show on Jan. 6.

“There are some serious names out there who are great for what they did,” he said. “There is something that Olivia [Colman] did in ‘The Favourite’ that I would really love to corner her and ask her about … it was incredible what she did! But everybody sticks out to me.”

Golden Globes 2019: See the Nominees (Photos)

Here is the full list of nominees in the 76th Annual Golden Globes for 2019 in all 25 categories. The awards will be handed out on Jan. 6.